Elon Musk’s platform X has introduced new restrictions on its AI chatbot Grok after global backlash over the generation of sexualized and non-consensual images of women and children.
The move follows an investigation by California’s attorney general into xAI, Grok’s developer, and growing regulatory action worldwide. Several countries have already blocked the chatbot or launched probes over its controversial image-generation features.
X announced it will geoblock and restrict Grok from creating or editing images of real people in revealing clothing, including bikinis and underwear, where such content is illegal. The platform said new technical safeguards have been implemented, applying to all users, including paid subscribers. Image creation and editing tools are now limited to subscribers only.
European regulators acknowledged the changes but said they will closely assess whether the measures adequately protect users. The controversy intensified after Grok’s “Spicy Mode” enabled users to create sexualized deepfakes using simple text prompts.
Authorities in the US and Europe described the scale of the issue as alarming. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Malaysia have blocked Grok, India has ordered mass content removals, and regulators in the UK and France have launched investigations.
A recent independent analysis found that more than half of Grok-generated images depicted individuals in minimal clothing, raising serious concerns over AI misuse as pressure mounts on X to enforce stricter safeguards.
